1-155-710 - Art Media/Heritage Images

'The Gleaners', 1857. Three women collect ears of grain that have been left after the harvest has been gathered and stored in ricks (background). The gleanings that such women gathered they would be allowed to keep, and they played an important part in the economy of poor country households. The best would be ground into flour and the remainder used to feed poultry. From the collection of the Musee d'Orsay, Paris.